Thorny starfish, Spiny sea star
Science name: Echinaster sentus Thorny starfish Found in shallow water in seagrass beds and rocky areas, its colour varies from red to brown to purple. The tips of the five arms are blunt and covered with short, spaced spines. Sea stars are known for their ability to regenerate limbs. They accomplish this by having most or all of their vital organs in their arms. Photo credit: Jonathan Gomez You may also like ...
Rock crab, Zagaya
Science name: Grapsus grapsus A swift, little crab with a flattened body and sharp claws on the ends of its legs to help it hold on as it dashes over the rocks. Difficult to approach, the crab will retreat to a rock crevice at the first sign of movement. Its dark speckled body is well camouflaged against the wet rocks. It is often used as bait by shore fishermen. Sometimes one may come across a discarded rock crab moult of a reddish hue. When crabs moult the skeleton splits around the edge of the body from the rear and the animal crawls out backwards. Photo credit:...
Pink Morning Glory, Goat’s foot
Science name: Ipomoea pes-caprae White Morning Glory Science name: Ipomoea imperati (Vahl) Griseb. A creeping, perennial vine with showy flowers, it is one of the most widely distributed drought and salt-tolerant plants on sandy beaches. The pioneering species grows just above the high tide line and has long trailing stems that sprawl out and help stabilize the sand, making conditions favourable for the establishment of other plants. Two species of Morning Glory are found along the beaches of Trinidad and Tobago: one has lavender pink, funnel-shaped flowers about 5 cm in diameter, and waxy, alternate leaves that are two-lobed and said to resemble a Goat’s footprint;...
Taking time to appreciate our Mangrove Forests
Our coastlines, especially the Gulf of Paria, were once lined with large trees with entangled roots beaming with wildlife, where our grandfathers and fathers hunted crabs to put in the Sunday callaloo, and for oysters sold in spicy sauce around the Queen Parks Savannah. Back then we did not fully understand he importance of these coastal forests, so as much as 50 % were cleared to build houses, businesses and ports. What are you talking about, you may ask? It’s our mangrove forests. Mangrove forests are spectacular and prolific ecosystems that are usually located on the boundary between land and sea. Mangrove trees are salt-tolerant trees, also called...
A view from the hill: The impacts of sedimentation on the coastal environment
If you have the opportunity to go to San Fernando Hill or the Lady Young Road in Port of Spain, you can have an unobstructed panoramic view of the Gulf of Paria and its environs. Viewing the coast from these vantage points gives you another perspective of human impacts on the coastal environment. Our impact is very evident after heavy rainfall when you look out only to see a large brown plume of sediment moving across the blue waters. Sediment is washed down from hillsides and plains into drains and rivers, eventually reaching the sea. The magnitude of these plumes is unknown for the...
World Oceans Day 2022 – Revitalization: Collective Action for the Ocean
“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever’ Jacques Cousteau The economic and social value of the ocean to individual communities and societies is incalculable. It is where we work, we harvest food, we pray and we play. Wallace J. Nichols, a marine biologist, believes that we all have a “blue mind.” He described this phenomenon as “a mild meditative state characterized by calm, peacefulness, unity and a sense of general happiness and satisfaction with life in the moment,” which is triggered when we’re in or near water. Mathew White, an environmental psychologist who studied how living near...
Only One Earth
The theme for World Environment Day 2022 asks us to remember that “in the universe are billions of galaxies, in our galaxy are billions of planets, but there is Only One Earth,” the habitat upon which the survival of the human species depends. Since 1974, the observance of World Environment Day serves as a platform for issues such as human over-population, marine pollution, global warming, sustainable consumption, and wildlife crime. This year, the issues are more critical than ever as peoples around the world struggle to bring carbon emissions in line with the prescribed “1.5⁰ C above the pre-industrial average.” Seagrasses and Mangroves in...
‘A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the souls if its people’ – Mahatma Gandhi
One hundred and seventy-seven (177) years ago on May 30th 1845, the first wave of East Indian immigrants arrived in the Port of Spain Harbour at the end of a treacherous trans-Atlantic journey on board the Fatel Razack ship. Brought from India to work in Trinidad to address the labour shortage in the post-emancipation period, the Indians coped with the harsh conditions of life and work on the sugar estates. These challenges were met with resilience, perseverance, and a determination to succeed in some way. Their determination and hard work drove them to forge great lives out of the little they had, which helped shaped...